Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Multiple circuit control – Multiple switch
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2001-09-04
Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Multiple circuit control
Multiple switch
C200S314000, C200S317000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284988
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard apparatus and more particularly to technology suitably used for a keyboard apparatus the operation side of which can be illuminated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional keyboard includes, for example, a keyboard body in which numerous key switches are mounted, and a case which internally houses and holds the keyboard and from which the keytops of the key switches are exposed so that they can be manipulated. As the case, for example, a case consisting of a combination of an upper case and a lower case is adopted wherein the upper case covers the top face of the keyboard body and has window portions to expose a large number of keytops, and the lower case covers the bottom face of the keyboard body. The keyboard body has several types of key groups each having a different function such as normal input keys, ten-keys, function keys, and the like wherein these key groups are separated from each other by beam portions between the window portions of the upper case and placed at some distance away from each other.
In such a keyboard, there have been cases where only specific keys such as, e.g., a CAPS key are provided inside the relevant keytops with a lighting means such as LED (light-emitting diode) so that they can be lighted.
However, recently, with widespread use of portable personal computers such as a notebook-sized personal computer in which a keyboard and a computer body are integrated, the portable personal computers have been widely used among general users as communication terminals for Internet, electronic mails, and the like. In such a situation, there may be a case where the keyboard of a portable personal computer or the like is manipulated when the surroundings are dark and short of sufficient light, e.g., during travelling. There has been a problem in that the key positions of the keyboard are difficult to recognize in such a case.
The provision of a lighting means such as LED inside a keytop has been made to indicate the state of specific operations (e.g., ON/OFF state of a CAPS key), not to illuminate the operation side of the keyboard, therefore not providing a solution to the above problem.
Furthermore, there is an increasing demand to differentiate products by placing greater emphasis on design attributes such as appearance than on functionability in both of notebook-sized personal computers and desktop personal computers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and intends to achieve at least one of the objects described below.
(1) Increasing the recognizability of key positions on the operation side of the keyboard apparatus.
(2) Increasing the operability of the keyboard apparatus.
(3) Increasing design attributes and fashionability to provide a keyboard apparatus meeting market needs.
The present invention has solved the above problem by including a plurality of key switches manipulated by keytops and a backlight means for illuminating the operation side constituted of the keytops from under it.
According to the present invention, since the operation side constituted of the keytops of the keyboard can be illuminated, even when ambient light is insufficient, the keyboard apparatus can be easily manipulated.
According to the present invention, the backlight means can be constructed to comprise an EL (electroluminescent device) sheet.
According to the present invention, the use of the EL sheet provides sufficient illumination at low power and also provides the keyboard with increased recognizability of key positions and illumination capability thanks to lighting from inside the keyboard, and further increased design attributes and fashionability, bringing about an upscale image.
In the present invention, the backlight means can have light emission positions thereof allocated corresponding to the positions of the key switches.
According to the present invention, by providing the EL sheet with light emission portions only in portions necessary to recognize the keytops by methods such as screen printing, manufacturing costs can be reduced, compared with the case where a backlight means having a light emission portion corresponding to the entire operation side is provided.
In this case, for example, the EL sheet can have light emission portions allocated so that the keytops are illuminated from outside them to make the plane contours of the keytops recognizable. To be more specific, the EL sheet can have through holes corresponding to the positions of key switches, and the through holes can be made into a nearly circular shape or a nearly rectangular shape.
According to the present invention, in this case, since the plane contours of the keytops can be recognized, key positions can be recognized and manufacturing costs can be reduced by reducing the area of light emission portions of the EL sheet.
Furthermore, the EL sheet can have light emission portions corresponding to the positions of the key switches so that the keytops are illuminated from inside them.
According to the present invention, in this case, since the keytops are illuminated from inside them, key positions can be recognized and manufacturing costs can be reduced by reducing the area of light emission portions of the EL sheet.
In the present invention, when the keytops are illuminated from inside them, the key switches can be provided with permeable keytops so as to transmit light from under the keytops, and the keytops can be provided with impermeable character portions so as not to transmit light from under the keytops so that key types can be recognized.
According to the present invention, by illuminating the keytops from inside them, the key positions can be recognized, and by illuminating the operation side of the keyboard, illumination capabilities can be provided, design attributes can be increased, key types can be recognized, and operability can be increased.
Also, in the present invention, when the keytops are illuminated from inside them, the key switches can be provided with impermeable keytops so as not to transmit light from under the keytops, and the keytops can be provided with permeable character portions so as to transmit light from under the keytops so that key types can be recognized.
According to the present invention, by illuminating the keytops from inside them, the operation side can be illuminated from the character portions of the keys, key positions can be recognized, illumination capabilities can be provided, key types can be recognized, and operability can be increased.
Furthermore, the backlight means can be controlled as to its light emission, corresponding to key placements. Here are specific examples of it: light emission can be partially controlled in light emission portions arbitrarily allocated along the row or columnar direction of key layout; by an intermittent light emission signal provided for change of the state of a connected power source or warning messages for operation mistakes, control can be performed so that light is intermittently emitted according to a specified length of light emission or a specified brightness level; and the types of luminescent colors in light emission positions can be set.
In this case, by controlling light emission at split light emission portions, messages or the like can be indicated to an operator, and at the same time illumination capabilities can be provided and design attributes and fashionability can be increased.
The keyboard apparatus of the present invention not only can be used as a keyboard of a desktop personal computer but also can be mounted in notebook-sized personal computers, communication terminals for Internet and electronic mail, portable calculators, portable electronic terminals such as portable telephones, control panel of electronic lock keys, and electronic equipment potentially used in dark places, such as terminals for reading electricity and gas meters.
Thereby, operability can be increased, illumination capabilities can be provided, and
Suzuki Katsuyuki
Takemori Satoru
Watanabe Kazutoshi
Yokoyama Kazuhiro
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Scott J. R.
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